Book Review - The Power of a Half Hour

The perception is that great things are only accomplished in at least an hour of effort.   An hour long business meeting!   An hour of prayer!  It is true that much can be done in an hour or more, but the same can be said for using just a half hour.   Tommy Barnett in his book, The Power of a Half Hour has me convinced that small amounts of time can produce great results in my life.

A half hour can be used to improve your life, strengthen your faith, build your character, advance your dreams, improve relationships and change the world. You will see these subjects addressed in this book.  Each chapter is short so you should be able to finish one chapter if you do not have much time.

My favorite chapter is called Listen.  It is part of the section about strengthening your faith.  “Be still and know that I am God.” in Psalm 46:10 comes to mind as I read this chapter.  I need direction and wisdom so an half hour of quiet time with the Lord is time well spent.

Connect with Impact was also a relevant chapter to me because I currently feel a need to re-connect or maintain a connection with family and friends.  I can get so busy, but relationships are so important.  I can take 30 minutes to make a phone call, send an email or write a letter.

Barnett wants us to realize that a lot can be accomplish in a short amount of time.  Take action consistently for 30 minutes a day, week or month and change will happen.  I recommend this book because it will encourage you to move forward in some area of your life.

You can read more about the author at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

This review contains an affiliate link. Refer to my disclosure page.

Book Review - Arkansas Weddings

Romance, Arkansas sounds like a lovely, romantic place to meet and fall in love.    It is for three couples in Arkansas Weddings.    The road to “happily ever after” is not smooth, but the journey is worth it.  Did you know that Romance, Arkansas is a real place?   It is a town located near the center of Arkansas. 

According to Wikipedia, the Romance post office is popular for postmarks that people want for Valentine’s Day and wedding invitations.  This fact was included in the second story.

In a small town, everyone seems to know everybody and that holds true in the town of Romance. The three stories are all connected based on past and current relationships.  Those connections make the book more interesting because you are able to catch up the life of the couple from the previous story.

The first story is about Adrea, a florist and Grayson, a grieving pastor.   Adrea was betrayed by a former boyfriend.  Somehow, she still manages to make beautiful floral creations for happy couples.  Grayson has a church to take care of, but his heart is still broken over the loss of his wife.   Valentine’s Day ties Adrea and Grayson together in ways that they cannot imagine when they first meet.   Grayson has been ordering flowers for his wife every Valentine’s Day.  Adrea has been arranging the flowers, but never met Grayson because she always worked in the back of the shop.  Adrea’s brother, Mark takes a job at Grayson’s church which puts them in regular contact.

Can you really move on when you lose someone so precious to you?  Can you trust anyone when your dreams have been crushed by betrayal?  Adrea and Grayson find out that they both can heal and move forward with God’s help.

The second story is centered around a man taking caring of his nephew and a woman who was reluctant to come back to her hometown.  The relationship starts as an employer and employee. Then it gets complicated as their feelings start to grow for each other.

In the third story, you can read about a woman with a bad reputation who thinks too much has happened to change other people’s opinions about her.  Her latest renovation project has her working again with a former boyfriend.   He recently found out that he was adopted and is trying to figure out if wants to reveal his true identity to his family.

All the stories are tied together well.  God is part of each story line.  I like that you get to visit Romance, Arkansas three times through all of these romances.  

Rating: 3 stars

This eBook was provided to me from NetGalley.

This review has an affiliate link through the book image.

Book Review - The Critter Club: Liz Learns A Lesson

 

The Critter Club is a series about elementary school children who run an animal rescue shelter.   I don't remember if an age was mentioned, but I guess these kids are in 3rd or 4th grade.   Book #3 is Liz Learns a Lesson.   Liz was so excited that summer vacation was about to start.  She would be able to do her favorite things - take an art class and take care of pets at the Critter Club.

Unfortunately, summer school was not a part of plans.   Math was not her best subject. The principal and her mom thought summer school would help her improve in math.  Liz was very disappointed especially since summer school was at the same time as art class.   She thought that this would be the worst summer ever.

In summer school, she found friends, a cool teacher and even a turtle for their class pet.  Her days were filled with summer school in the morning and the Critter Club in the afternoon.  The best part is that she did improve in math.  She even got an A on her last math test.

I started reading this book while I was in the library.  I thought this was just right book for my nine year old daughter who struggles with math and she has a love for animals.   It is a chapter book that is just right for children in grades 2nd to 4th grade.   You should also consider reading this book to your younger children.   A chapter a night at bedtime would be great.   Liz learns that a change in her plans is not the worst thing ever and taking the time to get help with a difficult subject will help in the long run.

Rating: 4 stars

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Book Review - The Quick-Start Guide to the Whole Bible

Have you ever watched the middle of a movie and did not know what was going on?  It seems interesting, but you missed important scenes and cannot figure out why what just happened is so significant.    Someone to fill in the blanks can be helpful so you can watch the rest of the movie with an understanding.

I like having the blanks filled in when I study the Bible.  The Quick-Start Guide to the Whole Bible by Dr. William H. Marty and Dr. Boyd Seevers is a great tool for Bible study.   This book provides an overview of each book of the Bible.   You will read about the setting, a summary and the significance.    The information about the Setting helps you understand the dates, place and the condition of the people for some books (at war, at peace, etc.).    The Summary gives a general idea of what is happening either by chapter or by dividing the book into a 1st and 2nd half.  My favorite part is the wrap-up in the Significance section.  Since the Bible is written about events that happened years ago, it might be easy to miss the message for me today.   The significance section tries to help me think about why this book of the Bible is important in our time.

The significance section of the Leviticus section was a help to me.   I would normally skip Leviticus because all of the rules become a blur. Since I am reading the Bible from the beginning, I had to read Leviticus.  I read about Leviticus in The Quick Start Guide and it summed up its purpose.  Leviticus is about holiness and separation from things that are common.  We are called to be holy because God is holy.  While reading all the dos and donts of Leviticus, the message of the book got lost for me.  The Quick Start Guide to the Whole Bible reminded me that today that I am called to holiness.

You should have The Quick-Start Guide to the Whole Bible in your library just in case you need to understand the big picture of the books of the Bible.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for my review.

Rating:4 stars

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Book Review - Silenced (Alaskan Courage)

Silenced by Dani Pettrey was so good that I can hardly wait for her next book in 2015.   This book is number 4 in the Alaskan Courage series. Every book is like watching an episode in my favorite TV series.  I look forward to each book.   I am completely into what happens to the McKenna family.  

Silenced is about Kayden McKenna.  She is very strong.  She climbs, exercises, eats healthy and runs with dogs.  Kayden does not want to get close to anyone.  Even her siblings recognize that she puts up a wall. The crack in her armor is her feelings for Jake Westin.  Before she knew his true identity, she convinced herself that he came from a shady background.  It was easy to dismiss him. The previous book, Stranded let us know more about Jake.  He is a much better man than Kayden thought.  Now she must deal with her growing attraction to Jake when she would rather protect her heart.  

Kayden and Jake get to spend a lot of time together while the investigate the murder of a climber.  I liked how I was able to learn more about climbing during their investigation.   The murder weapon was unique.  It was not like you could lift prints from this particular weapon.  With Kayden’s expertise in climbing and Jake’s professional detective work, they get closer to an answer.  Silenced is another great tale of murder, mystery and suspense.  I suggest you start with the first book, Submerged. The build up to Jake and Kayden’s relationship can be found in the previous books.

Visit the author's website to read her background and about her other books.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House and Netgalley for an honest review.

Rating: 4 stars

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Book Review - God's Calling for Kids

God’s Calling for Kids by Phil A. Smouse is just right to begin or end the day with your child. This is a year long children’s devotional. This book is perfect for my five year old daughter and me to focus on God.  The devotions are short and written in a very personal way.  A scripture is included with each day’s devotional.  

Some of the devotionals are relevant to the season because it does follow the calendar. The illustrations are cute, but are not included for each day.  There are at least two illustrations for each month.   

I would recommend this book to parents with young children 3 to 7 years old. Wake up or wind down with your little one while reading God’s Calling for Kids.

This ebook was provided to me by NetGalley.

Rating: 4 stars

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Book Review - The Bible Promise Book (KJV)

The Bible Promise Book (KJV) published by Barbour Publishing is a powerful little book.  What is in it?  It is simply just the Word of God arranged by subjects such as anger, contentment, God's faithfulness and wisdom to name a few.   There are no extra comments except from God Himself.  It is small enough to be carried almost anywhere.

How do I use it?   If I feel some anger, I turn to the section on anger and read the related scriptures to get God's perspective on the situation.  It helps me not to make a situation worse..

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.  (Proverbs 15:1)

If my situation seems to be too much that worry has taken over then I read:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (Phillipians 4:6-7)


If I want to share God's Word with someone and not overwhelm him with the whole Bible then I give The Bible Promise Book.   You will want to have extra on hand to have in several places like in your home and your car.  You might be led to bless someone else with God's promises.  

You can buy this book from Christianbook.com.  I am not associated with Christianbook...just a fan. This book happens to be a frequent purchase of mine from them because I like to hand them out.

Rating: 5 stars